MOUNT VERNON — Anderson County had a bit of delay in launching a season expected to have few limits Monday night.

The Lady Bearcats and Rockcastle County tipped off at the appointed 7:30 p.m. but it took Anderson about 12 minutes to get going. And when the Lady Bearcats did, it was easy to see why they have their sights on finishing the year in the Sweet 16.

Anderson rolled to a 53-36 season-opening win that showed the predictable early-season raggedness but gave a glimpse of how many weapons the Lady Bearcats have at their disposal.

I never thought I would see the day when I would be able to type the following sentence.

The University of Kentucky football team has won nine games in a season.

Nine. Games. In a season.

If you are under the age of 41, you can’t say that had ever happened in your lifetime before. If you are under 50, the odds are you don’t remember much about that Wildcat team of Art Still, Jim Kovach and Derrick Ramsey.

It seems like so long ago when Anderson County was a regular in the Top 25 wrestling teams in Kentucky. The Mat Cats boasted several medalists and were considered an up-and-coming power less in the early 2000s.

Fast forward to last February when Chase Fink advanced to the state tournament medal round, finishing eighth. It was the first time an Anderson wrestler had earned a state medal since 2012.

And, as they prepare to open the 2019 season Saturday in the Oldham County Super Duals, the Bearcats are intent on making sure others join Fink for the finals round.

As the Anderson County High School basketball teams open the season next week, the outlooks are markedly different. They’ve scrimmaged other teams and had mixed results, but it starts for real next week.